10 Ideas to Help You Focus Better
Cause we could all use a little more focus.
In a previous post (see below), I write about the plan and steps you need to create to reach a goal. The last step was to “just” work on the steps you set up:
I provide a quick list of ideas to keep you focused at the end, but I want to focus (pun intended!) on this list and add more ideas to it.
Focusing can be hard. Especially if what you need to focus on may not be what you want to focus on. Like work for a lot of people. Or certain parts of your work that are a little less pleasant (writing invoices? Gathering analytics and presenting them to your boss? Cleaning up your tools after yard work? It all depends on your work).
Even if it is something that you want to work on, sometimes there are just too many distractions. We live in a world made of distractions. There’s Facebook, Instagram, YouTube (“Hey, I’m watching tutorials — I’m learning!”– Yeah, right…), about 5 million other apps you can “work” with, there’s your cat/dog/goldfish, your partner, your stomach, the weather outside your window, your hair to twirl between your fingers, or whatever else you’d like to pick. Too many distractions.
But since the number of distractions isn’t likely going to decrease (in fact, it’ll probably increase! Yikes.), you need to put in place effective techniques, and tips and tricks to keep you focused.
Below is a collection of ideas you can implement to help you focus better. Free free to save this post to get back to it when you need it.
Ready?
- Turn off your phone.
First comes one of the best tips of all: turn off your phone.
I can hear you protesting: “What!? My phone — off???”
Okay, fine, we are not cavemen. You don’t have to turn it off completely (as in shut down). But silence the damn thing for the life of it! Ideally, after you’ve silenced it even put it away during your scheduled goal work times (I talk about “scheduling your time” in my previous post).
You need to do it. Really. It’ll help so much!
You can also turn on the “do not disturb” feature, but I find that if I have my phone completely silent — and away from me (like in a drawer or a separate room) — I can keep myself better focused and on task.
But what if there’s an emergency??
Well, if you must, for that reason, you can use the “do not disturb” function (and add a few emergency contacts to reach you, if needed). But honey, let me tell you, most people didn’t have cell phones as recently as 20 years ago, and they still handled many, many emergencies. If there’s a true emergency, people will find you, trust me.
2. Close your door with a note to “do not disturb” on it.
If the space you’re working in has a door (or any kind of closure), use it. Close that door and add a note to your family/roommates/colleagues/neighbors to “only disturb in emergencies — true emergencies.”
Yes, people may say it’s silly and disregard it at first. But tell them you’re serious because you need to get sh*t done.
If you’ll enforce it, and they respect your work (and may depend on it, dear family!?) they’ll take it seriously and heed your request eventually.
So, go ahead, write that note and stick it to your door. And don’t forget to explain to everyone what qualifies as a true emergency!
3. Turn on a white noise machine.
Personally, I use a white noise machine to sleep. And the simplest there is — a fan! White noise machines (or fans) may not be able to block out everything around you, but they help to reduce your perception of noise you hear from construction sites nearby, cars revving their engines, or your neighbors throwing a mid-day barbecue on their balcony.
While they block out some of the noise, an added bonus is that they can reduce stress and help soothe you (if you pick light music or nature sounds you enjoy).
4. Listen to energizing music.
Pick your favorite, upbeat tunes! Choose whatever you’re in the mood for. This may be something mellow (as in nature sounds, like for a white noise machine mentioned above), or it may be classic, pop, country, heavy metal, jazz, techno, reggae. Choose whatever helps you move your head, hands, brain, etc. (whichever you need to get moving for your work).
Listen on your headphones (if you’re in a public space, or if you have people nearby), or maybe you can blast it full-on into the room if you live alone.
If this helps you work more productively, you may even take a little dance break occasionally (it’s cool, no one is watching, and even if — you know the saying — so, just dance it off!)
5. Enlist the help of a family member or friend for accountability.
If you’re the type of person who thrives on interaction, but you must focus on some solo tasks, ask a friend or family member if they’re up for texting you (or whom you can text) as a way to announce an upcoming work block.
Just make sure that you are very disciplined, and do not engage in any banter or back and forth.
They can simply text you:
“Aaron, you have a work block coming up in 10 minutes to get that quarterly report done. Good luck with it, and text me when you’re done!”
Or you could say:
“Mom, it’s 10 AM, I’m getting started on my taxes now. I will work on them until 1 PM. Expect a text from me with an update then.”
Full disclosure: I’ve never tried this method. But, solidarity and the feeling of togetherness (misery loves company, after all) has been proven to help people feel less stressed, discouraged, and more motivated. And feeling better should help you have more positive energy and put it to use where you know it’s needed the most.
6. Enhance your environment — to get inspired.
Here is a favorite of mine I’ve done multiple times over the years: write a few of your favorite inspirational or motivational quotes on a piece of paper (ideally, each on a separate one, with font big enough to be read from a few feet away), and hang them near your desk (or wherever you’ll be working).
If you’re working outside or are constantly “on the move” for your work, this trick won’t work as well, but you can still grab a few quotes, save them as pictures or notes on your phone (you can even create a special folder for them), and look at them right before you need to get started on an important task. You could also pick your one all-star quote and save it as your wallpaper!
Alternatively, little post-its (in your car, etc.) work, too. Which brings me to my next tip.
7. Write post-it notes with reminders to focus.
As a little mental pick-me-up, you can write post-it notes with a simple reminder to focus around you. This is similar to inspirational quotes, but if they’re too fancy for you, you can simply write the word “FOCUS!” or you could write the actual task in a few words (such as “Do your tax return!”) on the post-its.
Something as simple as seeing the words of what you need to do can trigger your brain to want to act on it. Try it out!
8. Take (mindful) breaks.
Taking breaks is important to avoid getting burned out. We’re humans, not machines. So, while you’re working on becoming more focused, when setting up your schedule to work, make sure you build proper breaks into it.
Learn to listen to your body’s signals when you need a break. Are you getting irritated, angry at minor things, or fidgety with your hands? These could be signs you need a break.
So, go outside and take a walk in the sun (or even the rain), do the dishes, fold that basket of laundry, play with your cat, or clean your kitchen sink. Do something that doesn’t engage the same part of your body as your work does.
The key here is: avoid mundane, passive “energy-sucking” distractions, like scrolling through social media feeds, browsing the internet, or watching TV. Do something that engages your body in some “refreshing” way.
In addition, taking a mindful break means being aware of how long your break is. If you’re completely tired or burnt out, take a longer break. Maybe even consider calling it a day if you’ve worked a lot. But if you just need a little “out”, don’t walk away from your task for too long. Fifteen or thirty minutes may be all your brain needs to restore itself. Listen to your gut on this. But resist the urge to give in to temptations or relaxing for too long! Once you feel more rested or energized, head back to your work station, and jump back in.
If you need a change of scenery (i.e. task), think about switching tasks to a different (but equally necessary) activity. If you do that, make sure you move finishing the earlier task to a different time in your schedule, otherwise, it’s easy to try to avoid it for too long again.
9. Move your body.
At times when you can’t take a full-on break, your body may still be craving more movement than you’re giving it. If you are stuck at the desk, try a few simple stretches: push your chair back and lengthen your legs lifting them off the ground, hold your arms up over your head and sway them from side to side, carefully circle your head from one shoulder to the other; or — if you’re able to — consider even standing up and doing a few jumping jacks next to your work station!
You may feel silly at first, but trust me, your body thrives on movement, so don’t deprive it of that. Moving around regularly will get your blood flowing, and give you a refreshed focus for your tasks.
10. Enhance your environment — for optimal productivity.
After you’ve optimized your environment for inspiration (or with mental reminders), another incredibly helpful tip is to optimize your environment in all ways possible to create the most comfortable surroundings for you, physically and mentally.
This may include:
- Keeping your room (if it is a room) at a pleasant temperature.
- Wearing comfortable clothing (if you’re working at home, this may mean, “Hello, Pajamas!”, or it could also mean, “Hello, me making an effort. I’m going to wear proper business clothes!”). Wear clothes that you feel motivated in to get sh*t done.
- Drinking enough water! And yes, try to stick to mostly water, not sodas, coffee, or juices. I drink around 3–4 liters of water (that’s about 100–135 ounces in the imperial system) every day! It keeps your skin tight (little side bonus) and your mind sharp.
- Creating a routine, such as regular daily or weekly times when you will work on whatever you need to focus on the most, and sticking to it. Creating a regular schedule will “teach” your mind to focus when you need it (this is similar to the trick of regular bed-and wake up-times. Your body will start to remember and go into autopilot. Our bodies work pretty amazing that way.)
- Keeping yourself well-fed. And that means, eat what nourishes you, not what drains you. I’m very passionate about this last point as I have a huge interest in nutrition, so I elaborate on it in this post:
Do you have any ideas on what to add to this list? Do you think any of the tips are ridiculous or really hard to implement? Which ones do you think you might try?
Feel free to pick your favorites and roll with them. Or try them all, let me know which ones work best for you!
I’m Jenna — hi, I’m new to Medium! I’m a long-time writer/fresh copywriter. I’m on a journey to making writing my full-time gig. Jump in with me! On Medium, I write about life’s struggles and successes, the writing process itself, and how to live better. Many of my stories have a touch (or a lot) of personal experiences in it.
